The Ghost Woman & The Hunter
by Ou Yang Jing
Summary: My first chapter story.
1. The Ghost Woman

2/06/05 Someone was gracious enough to review and point out a mistake (quite the novice mistake I might add) that I had made. Well, not so much a mistake as a nuisance that doesn't really let the story flow and it's quite repetitive. I won't tell you what that mistake is lest you point your fingers and laugh. If you really wanted to know you should have noticed on your own. XD does the finger thing _I'll never tell… Thanx to Tacofoolio fro pointing this out. hugs and kisses_

Disclaimer: Let's tell the kiddies at home what we learned today, shall we? _**Jing's obedient apprentices:** Jing Xiao Jie does not claim any ownership over the characters of Final Fantasy 7 or the original storyline, lest she invoke the wrath of the godly and powerful people at SquareSoft/SquareEnix and their even more powerful harem of lawyers. XD_. (harem…)

_**Chichiri: **Nor does she own me, no da!_

_**Jing:** QUIET SLAVE!_

_**Chichiri:** o0 EEP!_

_**Jing:** THAT STILL REMAINS TO BE SEEN! I MAY NOT HAVE PROPERTY RIGHTS OVER YOU, BUT I STILL OWN 2 ¾ OF YOUR SOUL! XD mad, mad cackle I **REALLY** like the word cackle! It's just so funny. XP muahahahahaha!_

Anyway. I've already written this thing once, but my (insert curse of choice) computer crashed and along with it went the 2, very long chapters I might add, that I slaved over. So now, I must rewrite them. _sob_ You know, you guys are more than welcome to post some reviews. I won't mind at all. In fact, I encourage you to read and review. DO IT NOW! Enjoy! **X**D

_**She's smiling like heaven is down on earth.**_

**_The sun shining so bright it hurts_**

**_All her wishes have finally come true_**

_**Her heart is weeping. Happiness is killing her.**_

_**She'll be right here in my arms**_

_**So in love**_

_**She'll be right here in these arms**_

_**So hard she's trying**_

_**But her heart won't turn to stone**_

_**She keeps on crying**_

_**But I won't leave her alone**_

_**She'll never be alone.**_

_**"Right here in my arms" by His Infernal Majesty (H.I.M.)**_

**_Flowers for the broken Spirit_**

She goes to a café and observes another couple, and then she sits alone in a large, clean, empty room. She brought her thoughts back to her present situation. She didn't exactly know how she had gotten there. The last thing she could remember was praying at an altar and then a searing pain running straight through her abdomen. She lightly touched the spot, half expecting to discover a wound, but found nothing. Maybe it was just a dream? But it seemed too real to be just a dream. She could recall taking her last breathe before her vision failed her and then a blinding darkness. But now that she thought about it; where was here? Where was she? She looked around at her surroundings. With the exception of the bed and a small bedside table, the room was virtually empty. None too pleasing to the eye. How did she get here? She thought about it for a while, when she was interrupted by a small, elderly lady.

"Oh, well hello there, dear. Nice to see you finally awake. Isaiah! Our patient has risen!" she called back to someone.

"What?" She was followed into the room by an equally small and elderly man. "Oh? Finally awake are ya? Didn't think you'd ever wake. I've never seen anyone sleep that long. Nope. Not in all my years." He said as she stroked his chin and beard.

All their patient could muster for a reply was a cheesy smile and rubbing the back of her head. "Umm, I guess have no doubt that you two have been the ones looking after me then."

"Don't say anything about it, dear. You're lucky we came along when we did. I don't know how long it was that you were down there, but yes, you certainly are lucky we found you."

"Umm… "down there"?"

"Yep. I'd say it was about a month or so ago," Isaiah said rubbing his chin again. "Taking a walk, we was, when Ethel and I decided to go through them old city ruins. Came up on a small reflecting pool and found you on the shore of it. Thought it was a waste fer someone so young and perty to wind up dead. Quite lucky you were that my grandson gave me that Life materia. We was able to revive you and then we brought ya back here to our home."

The girl could only look at them with a dumbfounded look. "I was…dead then?"

"Yep. I'd say that was dead. You was all pale and dead lookin"

"Well, the important thing is that you're alive now. Oh! I bet you're hungry."

With the mention of food her stomach replied for her. She blushed and gave a small embarrassed laugh. Ethel only smiled back and left to fetch her something to eat.

"Well now, don't think I've ever seen eyes quite like that before." She suddenly realized that Isaiah was now about two inches from her face. She backed up a bit, understandably a little uncomfortable from his close proximity. (A/N: _BIG WORDS! WHOO!) _Ethel came back in with a tray containing a bowl of steaming soup on it. She set the tray down on the small table and realizing how rude Isaiah was being to the poor girl, proceeded to whack him over the head with a wooden spoon that seemed to come out of nowhere. She began to eat as the two of them bickered; eating it slowly, not knowing how her stomach would react from the sudden acquisition of sustenance nor how long she had been "dead".

After finishing her meal, the three of them talked for hours. Not really about much, just what they did out in this part of the countryside. Ethel liked to talk about their younger days. At which point Isaiah would insert a joke about her not being as "fresh" as she used to be, which only earned him another whack over the head. She could only look at them with a smile as they bickered again and again. They were quite the pair. But she could tell underneath it all that they truly cared about one another.

Ethel and Isaiah took the dirty dishes to the kitchen to clean up a bit and to brew some fresh tea. She took this as her opportunity to get up. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and with a little effort, pushed herself up from the bed. She stood for about 3 seconds before her legs gave out and buckled beneath her. She fell to the ground with a loud 'oof!' and rubbed her sore hind quarters.

"I guess it's been a while since I've used my legs." She thought out loud, rather irritated.

Hearing the commotion, Isaiah came in, finding the would-be escapee on the floor. He snickered to himself and understanding her silent plea, helped her hobble into the sitting room. She sighed, immediately feeling relieved at the sight of some scenery. She made herself comfortable on the sofa and looked around, taking in the much appreciated change of setting. Ethel brought in their refreshments and they chatted well into the evening.

The girl couldn't help but feel relaxed and comfortable here. She could feel the warmth all around her. She closed her eyes, taking in the comfort of the small cottage and the very pleasing scents of pine and spices. It reminded her very much of something else. Something very familiar. Yet she couldn't place it. She tried to gather her fragmented memories and find a place, but all she could seem to get so far were bits and pieces of some strange people. Strange but familiar. In every image though, there was a man. Somewhere in his early twenties she guessed. He was tall, very handsome and very much a blonde. What was striking about him, and he was very striking indeed, but even more so were his eyes. They just glowed. A very ethereal blue glow. Ethel became very silent all of a sudden. A blush crept across her face. Taking notice the girl looked at her curiously.

"I feel so very silly. This whole time we've been talking and I never asked you for your name, dear."

She only laughed and smiled at her That was the only thing she was sure of and remembered about herself. "My name is Aeris."

_**Staring at the sun**_

_**No rays down on me**_

_**I call you in my arms**_

_**Embrace is unreal**_

_**You're moving on**_

_**We'll never be apart**_

_**Just drain my tears I cry aloud**_

_**You're moving on**_

_**You'll never be a part **_

_**Of all my tears I cry aloud**_

_**Calling on your sins**_

_**You're here in my dreams**_

_**A desert place**_

_**I'm not alone**_

_**Do you really want to be me?**_

_**You're moving on**_

_**We'll never be apart**_

_**Just drain my tears I cry aloud**_

_**You're moving on**_

_**You'll never be a part **_

_**Of all my tears I cry aloud.**_

_**"The ghost woman and the hunter" by Lacuna Coil**_


	2. The Hunter

2/06/05 I decided to go back and edit some things in my stories, seeing as how I have yet to brainstorm and come up with the next chapter for this one. Somehow I remembered a review someone sent me, pointing out a flaw, so I decided to correct it and I thought, ' hey. I'm doing this one, so I might as well correct the others if there are any.' I found some. Though they were just slip of the finger. So I corrected it. Some great people you all are. Couldn't even tell me about a little mistake. I hate crap like that. I am the type of person that gets irritated easily. So it irritates me when I miss something stupid like that. I have yet to finish off Sephiroth. That bastard keeps turning me into a friggin' toad and I'm getting tired of it. Though awesome, I have a bone to pick with the game developers: _WHY THE HELL IS HE EVEN STRONGER THE HIGHER YOUR LEVEL? That just ain't right._

12/13/04 So? What did ya think of the first chapter? You like the title? Cool, ne? I think it's kind of appropriate for the CloudxAeris relationship so far. Obviously from Lacuna Coil's song of the same name. GREAT song. GREAT artist. If you like Evanescence, you'll probably like them. They're from Italy. The album is called Comalies. So? You like it thus far? The story, I mean. I'm kinda iffy about it. But hey - I'm just trying my legs out. OOOO! Bet ya didn't see that comin'. You didn't think it would be _her_, did ya? Did ya? Of course you didn't.

Disclaimer: Good thing I bought all these little slave kids - I mean o0 good thing I "hired" this great bunch of kids to do my disclaimers for me. Less work for me! They're such good evil apprentices  XD

_**Evil squeaker apprentices:** Jing Xiao Jie wants the people at home to know that she doesn't own any of the characters in this story. They are property of the good people at SquareSoft/SquareEnix. If they were hers she wouldn't be doing this. She would have an evil empire hell bent on taking over the world and she would enslave the Bishie community to be her own personal -… _

**_Jing:_silences squeaker apprentices -' hahaha… These people don't need to know about THAT. Or my plans for world domination. I've already said too much. You all will be maimed for this**.

_**Evil squeaker apprentices:** Bu! Xiao Jie qing wen…_

_**Jing**: SILENCE! You know the law. Somebodyhereneeds to be strangled…_

_**Evil squeaker apprentice 3:**mumbles You never maim Chichiri…_

_**Chichiri**: o0'_

_**Jing:** ponders You're right... BUT THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE FOR! chases apprentices and maims each, especially 3 bc he has a big mouth. Sits back down sweetly I would never maim my Chiri-kins He's just too cute! huggles Chiri_

Just enjoy my fruit of thought…That sounds odd…

**_This song is one of my favorites. I was listening to this while I was writing this chapter and I heard the third line and I was like 'holy crap'. It's kind of creepy when you look at it from Cloud's point of view. VERY appropriate for this one, me thinks._**

_Playground school bell rings again_

_Rain clouds come to play again_

_Has no one told you she's not breathing?_

_Hello I am your mind giving you_

_Someone to talk to_

_Hello_

_If I smile and don't believe_

_Soon I know I'll wake from this dream_

_Don't try to fix me I'm not broken_

_Hello I am the lie living for you so you can hide_

_Don't cry_

_Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping_

_Hello I'm still here_

_All that's left of yesterday._

_"Hello" by Evanescence_

Chapter 2

_"The Anguish of an unsmiling watcher." _

The dark sky, filled with angry swirling clouds, reflected Cloud's mood as he sat on the step of his home. All he could seem to think about was Tifa's outburst in the car. He was quite irritated now. Not only because she had ruined his mood and decided to get all gushy on him, but because she brought up things that for years he had pretty successfully repressed in his mind. Women were indeed strange creatures and they definitely came from another planet. She had no right to bring up things that she didn't understand. All those horrible memories came rushing back in a sea of turmoil and emotion. He was confused to no ends.

His head was clouded with many random thoughts and questions that he had never stopped asking himself since then. 'what ifs', 'whys', 'what happened'. All those past pains and memories that had led up to this point. He gave a light snort. Tifa did pretty much everything except propose to him. Now THAT would be something. But then again Tifa was going out on a limb then and it was quite the achievement for her to come out and tell him how she felt. Proposing would be out of the question. After all, her pride would never allow her to do such a thing. She had to salvage whatever dignity, if any, she had after that little outburst.

Aeris. His mind did a 180, making his thoughts return to his dark and brooding disposition he had taken up. He saw her die right before his eyes. He held her as she slowly slipped away. He felt her heart gradually stop its beat, and they all watched as her body sank down to the bottom of the reflecting pool. It should have been him. He wanted it to be him. He wouldn't be feeling this way if it had been him. Duh. Of course not. He'd be dead. There wouldn't be any brooding on any level. She didn't know it, but in the end, she had saved them all. She died a martyr and she became their savior. And she would never see the good she had done for the planet. Aeris… His thoughts started to overwhelm his mind. Fresh tears started to form. He grabbed at his hair and fell to his knees, letting out an angry, pained cry.

_What was it all for? Why did he even go on? Was there any point without her here_? More questions. Everyone had reassured him over and over and over again that he wasn't to blame. He just couldn't believe that. He could have done something to save her. She didn't deserve that. Well, no one did, but her least of all. He was ashamed of himself. It took him days to muster up the courage to finally tell her mother. When he finally made the trip and went all the way there, he stood out there in the cold rain for hours before ever knocking on the door. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. He kept his head down, never once looking up at her. She understood why he was there when he was so silent. But she had said that she had known all along. Knowing was one thing, hearing it was another. She sobbed a good deal before she came up to him and embraced him. He was quite shocked by her actions. She had known why he couldn't look at her.

He stayed with her for a few weeks, helping her out the best he could. Though he didn't say much, it was all she needed. She was the one who told him that it was all right to cry. He was shocked when she said it. Cry? Him? Could he cry? He didn't think it was possible. But even as he thought about it, his body started to betray him. His eyes already moist with tears began to let down their barricade, his lip started to quiver and his shoulders started to shake. Try as he may, he couldn't get it to stop. When she embraced him, it only got worse.

He would admit that he had teared up before, but he had _never_ flat out sobbed. He found that after that day he did it quite frequently. And he thought he was _so_ strong. The strong guys didn't cry. He must not be a strong guy. And here he was. Crying. Again. _You're weak._

As if mimicking his actions, the sky let free its own tears. He didn't even feel the cold rain on his body. He could only feel his heart being ripped, trampled, and stabbed at. Yet again. He wanted to die. He didn't want to bear it anymore. He didn't know how much longer he could. His spirit had left him. He was nothing but an empty shell. At least he could be with her then.

_I tried to kill the pain_

_But only brought more_

_I lay dying_

_And I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal_

_I'm dying, praying, bleeding, and screaming_

_Am I too lost to be saved?_

_Am I too lost?_

_My God my tourniquet_

_Return to me salvation_

_My God my tourniquet_

_Return to me salvation_

_Do you remember me?_

_Lost for so long_

_Will you be on the other side?_

_Or will you forget me_

_I'm dying, praying, bleeding, and screaming_

_Am I too lost to be saved?_

_Am I too lost? _

_My God my tourniquet_

_Return to me salvation_

_My God my tourniquet_

_Return to me salvation_

_My wounds cry for the grave_

_My soul cries for deliverance_

_Will I be denied Christ_

_Tourniquet_

_My suicide_

_"Tourniquet" by Evanescence_

**_(A/N: Angsty, ne?)_**

He slowly wrapped his arms around his trembling body, either in an attempt to comfort himself or to quiet the sobs wracking his entire body.

"Aeris…," he managed a choked whisper, "forgive me."

Thanx to VenusBlade and Tacofoolio for their reviews. Blows kisses

Hopefully I'll have a new chapter for you guys up in afew days or less. XD


	3. Dreams Within

2/06/05 For some reason this one wasn't saved on my pc. Freaking thing. I curse you, you fowl piece of technology! I decided to edit everything and reload them. Why can't this process be easier? Why do I have to constantly upload and then change them? It's very tedious and I don't like it. Oh well. No use complaining. I do so love to write and have you all review.

12/13/04 My mind is like 'blah'. I think I should stop after this one and call it a night. I haven't even eaten anything all day. It's all for the art, man! Whatever. Just finished the second part of apologies. I don't like Tifa. I'm a big supporter of CloudAeris. Screw Tifa! Yes! That's right! I said it! You heard me! Muahahahaha! Okay, yeah…

Disclaimer: yawn you know the routine.

_**The evil, tired, mistreated, hungry and underappreciated squeaker apprentices**: like monotonous drones Jing Xiao Jie doesn't own FFVII or any of the characters._

_**Evil, tired, mistreated, hungry and underappreciated squeaker apprentice 3**: Can we lie down now?yawn_

_**Jing: **Very well. Excellent, my minions. throws a piece of raw meat into the group and watches them scrap for it( I'm tired yawn Oi! Chichiri, it's bedtime. AND YOU ALL! STOP BEING PERVERTED! I DIDN'T MEAN IT THAT WAY! Though I wouldn't mind… evil grin I need a massage sighs and retreats to her dark hole_

The wind like a heart that swam in the accumulated words

The clouds, a voice that was shot into the holding future

The moon, a shaking heart in an unsteady mirror

The stars, gentle tears in an overflowing stream

Isn't is beautiful, to walk together in each others hands

I do so want to go

To your city, your house, into your arms

That heart held within your body

In those confusing nights, I dream

The wind, its halting words are a gentle illusion

The clouds, the broken future like a distant voice

The moon, a heart flowing in the clouded mirror

The stars, broken and swaying, like tears unable to be hidden.

Isn't is beautiful, to walk together in each others hands

I do so want to go

To your city, your house, into your arms

That face

A soft touch

Dissolving into morning

I dream.

Suteki Da Ne (Isn't it Lovely?) by Rikki

_**Chapter 3 **_

**_ "The wild dreams of a deluded child" _**

She'd barely been asleep an hour and already started to drift into a dream world. She was surrounded by space. Stars and planets collided and she was thrown into a black hole. She tried to scream for help but not a sound escaped her lips. Her voice just wouldn't work. So she just let herself fall, if you could say she was falling. Space and time, all direction seemed to disappear in this place; up was down; left was right; correct was not. It was just an empty void where nothingness existed. Suddenly she was drawn into a whirling vortex and she was violently thrown toward the ground.

Aeris again tried screaming, but to no avail. She closed her eyes, tears streaming out. In her head she kept telling herself that it was only a dream. She dug her nails into her palms in an attempt to wake herself. The ground flew toward her or she picked up speed. As the ground came closer, she finally was able to scream out. Only one name popped into her head and she screamed that name for all she could. She called out for _him._

She shot up out of bed, screaming loud enough she was sure she shattered the windows. Ethel and Isaiah heard her screams and came running in, worry evident on their faces, asking if she was all right.

She looked at her hands. She was shaking like a rattle. She looked at her palms and noticed nail marks where she had dug her nails into her skin. The wounds were starting to clot up already. She was covered in a cold sweat from head to toe, but was still burning up. She was blinded by a wall of tears she hadn't even realized was there, and now they began to make their way down her cheeks like a waterfall. She didn't know why she was crying. It was just a dream after all. But they kept coming and wouldn't relent. She had no idea why she was so upset. She couldn't recall ever having such a nightmare.

She was so very confused. Recalling the fall and being unable to scream out. But she did scream. She woke up screaming, and it had woken her caretakers. That's right. She called out for that blonde haired man. What was his name? She was sure she had called out a name. She thought she had remembered something. She wanted to know his name more than anything. And she had forgotten it in all of her excitement. She sighed and cursed for not being able to remember. The tears started to flow more heavily because of her inability to remember a trivial thing such as a name Ethel piped in and interrupted her thought.

"Aeris, dear? Who's Cloud?"

"What?"

"You called out the name 'Cloud'. Who is he?"

"Cloud?" Was that his name? It was. She was sure of it. She pictured him. They were on a roller coaster or something. At an amusement park. He was smiling at her. She felt herself calming. "Cloud… " _That was it._

Ethel and Isaiah only gave her a curious look. She looked back at them and smiled. "I'm fine now, thank you. I'm sorry that I startled you so."

After much coaxing on Aeris' part, feeling reassured that she was all right, they went back to bed, leaving Aeris to her thoughts. With just a name she started to remember all about him. Her fragmented memories started to piece together and slow down. Her memories began to replay like a movie. Only she couldn't hear anything. She couldn't hear his voice_. Great_. She could remember nearly everything now and still she couldn't seem to remember his voice. She knew everything he had said, but his voice, she just couldn't remember it no matter how hard she tried.

Crystal memories

Touched by your voice, in the moonlight

"Nothing lasts." you said.

But everything still holds meaning in my heart

Hidden deep in my mind

River to the time

That we once shared together-

The pictures are still on the wall and why.

Shining smiles, like snow flakes.

All melted and gone away

Only answer was to live.

And I am still here-

With your memories...

Dreaming hopelessly.

Holding in my heart

All the flowers you left...

Crystallized moments

Shattered into frozen pieces in my tears

River of moonlight

I hear your voice echoing.

But I'm here, alone...

Crystal melodies

Moments so sweet, I remember

"Nothing lasts." you said.

Then why is a pain still confusing memory

Only time will go on

River has its end

Our light was blown by the wind

My fingers reach out and find no one there

Rainy sky, please tell me my emptiness will be filled

Only answer was to live.

And I am still here-

With your memories...

Walking hopelessly.

Holding in my eyes

All the colors you left...

Broken melodies

No more singing, no more laughing in the sun

River of moonshine

I hear your voice echoing

But I'm still alone...

River of Crystal by Kimiko Itoh

Thanx to Tacofoolio and VenusBlade for their constructive reviews!

Hugs and kisses!

Hey, if you guys like InuYasha, you should check out CrystalEchoes fic "To Wash It All Away". Holy Crap is that a good piece of work. The chapters are quite lengthy and she stays true to the real personalities of the characters and in my opinion does Takahashi-sama real justice. If she asks, I sent ya!


	4. Breakaway

2/06/05 Upon inspection of this piece I found what a real turn I made from the last chapter with Cloud. I always liked to think of Cloud as a guy-guy: ornery and constantly irritated by the drama his girl friends (not girlfriend) create. I still think it's funny. I always liked it when he and Barrett fought. Barrett is such a loose cannon anyway. Poor Marlene. He did strangle Biggs after they blew up that first reactor and it makes me laugh every time. And don't forget about Cloud's little joke about Tifa having orthopedic underwear. It's when Cloud enters Tifa's house when he tells all of them the story about Sephiroth and he goes into her house in the flashback. It's in Tifa's dresser. You may or may not have heard about it. But it's funny how Tifa's like "CLOUD!" and he's like "It's true!". I always knew he was a joker. XD My kind of guy! OH! I changed the last paragraph of this. I hated it. It sounds much more better and less …sappy for lack of a better term.

12/14/04 I can't help but feel the last paragraph is _really_ cheesy. I'm not good at sappy stuff. I may be on a roll right now; getting my chapters out one after another but that might come to a stop as the story progresses. Just bear with me. But nearly a page and a half! That's a record for me. It seems so much longer when it's in my notebooks. The last chapter I don't really like but with the exception of the last paragraph of this one, I like it.

Disclaimer:  Can you believe I had a time where I kept misspelling that? Damn nails…

**_Chichiri_:** _Jing Xiao Jie does not own –_

**_Jing_:** _WAIT! Where are my evil squeaker minions? I have them specifically for this purpose._

_**Chichiri: **They called in, no da. Said they were indisposed. -_

_**Jing: **WHAT! They can't do that! I own them. They do as I say. THEY HAVE NO **SICK** DAYS Ugh! I feel a migraine coming. Whatever._

_**Chichiri: **Poor Jing-san. Anyway Where was I? Oh yes – Jing Xiao Jie does not own any of the characters in this story. They are copyrighted property of SquareSoft/SquareEnix, no da. On with the story! _

_**If it's the overflowing tears, it's okay that they don't stop now**_

_**Light should be shining into the finale of the sadness**_

_**Right, we believed in the same feeling**_

_**We gazed at the vanished memory**_

_**Now I can't meet you**_

_**But I can hide my painful thoughts**_

_**And become stronger**_

_**I'll go ascertain that**_

_**If it's the overflowing tears, it's okay that they don't stop now**_

_**Light should be shining into the finale of the sadness**_

_**The things that I destroyed when I was too rushed**_

_**I'll regain them, to walk like myself**_

_**Hey, let me say goodbye first**_

_**To you again back then**_

_**I believe that surely, there's a new tomorrow**_

_**Time that passes by unhesitatingly and unhurriedly**_

_**I won't forget the pain that changes into kindness**_

_**My heart that I wounded when I was too reckless**_

_**I'll embrace it, for the reborn me**_

_**I Will**_

_**If it's the overflowing tears, it's okay that they don't stop now**_

_**Light should be shining into the finale of the sadness**_

_**Time that passes by unhesitatingly and unhurriedly**_

_**I won't forget the pain that changes into kindness**_

_**The things that I destroyed when I was too rushed**_

_**I'll regain them, to walk like myself**_

_**I Will**_

_** I Will by Sowelu**_

Chapter 4

"Heal the pain"

He woke with a start. His face was puffy and the ridged pattern of the sofa cushions were

printed deeply on his cheek. The left side of his face has wet, apparently he had been drooling again. _I've gotta stop doing that._ _That was one weird dream. _Not that his dreams usually weren't, but that was just crazy. He wiped the side of his face dry as he thought more about it. Someone had been calling his name. That's why he woke up in the first place. He thought it had been Tifa yelling at him again.

He stretched and yawned as he stood. He walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. He trudged about, going to the sink and filling his glass. He looked at the clock as he took a large gulp and nearly choked. It was now 3:00 A.M. He thought he would just close his eyes and rest just a bit, laying himself down on the couch. That was 12 hours ago. He must have been just a little more fatigued than he had originally thought. Carrying heavy furniture around all day wasn't exactly light on the back or the feet. And boy had his dogs been barking. Tifa moved into a new house and he had at sometime "volunteered" his services. Funny - because he didn't ever remember offering to help. Not that it was a big deal; he didn't have anything productive to do anyway. He had just planned to sleep the day away…again.

That woman was so indecisive. He finally got that damn… whatever the hell it was, where she told him to put it and then she decides that she likes it better over in the corner. No wait, on that wall. No that one. Perfect. A little more to the right. No the left. Great. Now go get the other really heavy stuff and bring it in. Why couldn't Barrett have helped? He wasn't doing anything. Somehow he got the easy job of putting away all her little junk. Things could have gone a lot smoother had she told Barrett to help with the heavy stuff. It wasn't his fault the damn armoire was too heavy for him to lift alone and ended up going through a wall. He gave an evil smile. That one thing had made it all worth while. The look on Tifa's face was classic. And it got him dismissed from his duties early so he wouldn't bring the rest of the house down. Sometimes it's good to be a klutz.

This was gonna throw off his schedule. What to do now? He knew there was nothing on television at this hour and even if there was, it was all crap. There was nothing for him to do. He let out an aggravated sigh. There was probably no chance of him getting back to sleep now. His internal battery had been fully charged and he wasn't in the least bit tired. _Uh-oh_. He hated not having anything to do. It gave him too much time to think. He hated to think. Somehow he always ended up drinking or breaking something, most of the time it was both. Those two things went hand in hand for him. When he drank, he broke something. When he broke something he was 99 of the time drunk off his ass. Then he would either have to fix it or replace it. And he wasn't too great at fixing things. What he needed was a good punching bag. Where was Cait Sith's fat stuffed body when you needed it most? Well, he needed to do something and it wasn't gonna get done if he didn't get moving. So he went down a list of possible tasks or pastimes.

_Hmm_. He could always clean things up a bit around here. Tifa always complained about the state of his "home". But he thought better of it. Doing that would mean that she would be over more often, meaning no more sleeping in past noon and more nagging on her part. He cringed. That always resulted in a migraine. He'd had way too many of those lately. Said woman being the cause.

He could fix something. Men are supposedly great handymen. He wouldn't necessarily have to clean up, but fixing some things would make it seem less trashy. It was his fault the things were broken in the first place. Results of some of his drunken escapades. He smirked. _Good times, good times_. But then he remembered that he knew basically _nothing_ about fixing _anything_. Sometimes he could fix a car depending on the problem. But that was more tinkering with the damn thing that any actual skill or knowledge about it. _Nope._

He could go vandalize some of Barrett's property. Boy did he love to get that big gorilla's panties in a wad. And oh, was he good at it. He could do that with hardly any effort on his part. Somehow they always ended up fighting. Either Cloud was in an ornery mood and wouldn't stop flapping his lips, throwing cuts left and right, or just the opposite; he wouldn't say hardly anything, not responding to anyone or anything. Both were _very_ effective in getting the desired result and both ended in a bloody brawl, sometimes with broken limbs or property. And then he had an epiphany. _Oooh. That's why Tifa made me do all the crap work by myself. _She may not look it, but Tifa was quite intelligent. Realizing that the two of them could very well destroy her new home, she separated them. No. Although it was _very _pleasing and well worth the effort, things like this had to be thought out and planned carefully. Especially what – or who – was to be victimized. Tempting. But not right now. Maybe later.

_Or._ He could take a walk. It wasn't exactly his cup of tea. But this was a serious situation and he didn't have much choice. It required little effort. Physically and mentally. And maybe he would run into a few monsters or fiends. He could always use a good workout. Though if there weren't any around that would mean that his mind would be free to wander to places that he didn't necessarily want to go. Again he was at a crossroads: he could either stay home; be allowed to explore his repressed thoughts, become depressed and drown it out with alcohol, which resulted in more damaged property. Or he could take a walk and be subject to the same thing minus the alcohol and destruction of property. He decided for the latter. It had become a very bad habit for him to drink, which again, resulted in destruction of his or another's property. So again, either something had to be fixed or replaced. It was a vicious cycle. He sighed, reaching for his coat, and stepped out the door and began his walk.

Great. Tifa owed him for this. It was her fault he was out here anyway. If he hadn't "volunteered" to help her move then he wouldn't have been so tired. If he wasn't so tired he wouldn't have fallen asleep at 3 in the afternoon. And if he hadn't fallen asleep, he wouldn't have slept for 12 hours, woken up at such an ungodly hour and he wouldn't be taking this walk now. Which only allowed him to think. She owed him for that little outburst of hers the other day, too. No he hadn't forgotten about that. Oh no. _Freaking woman and her damn hormones._ And now this was why he didn't like to think. It was a never ending cycle. All thoughts led to her. Aeris.

Now he wanted to run away and hibernate in a hole somewhere. _Damn lucky bears. _It got to be a little more than he could handle. He had had an emotional few days. And actually, it angered him the more he thought about it. She had that ridiculous tantrum in public because she decided that _now_ she had feelings for him. Well, if she wasn't such a numbskull maybe she would have seen that he had loved her a long time ago. Only when Aeris showed up did she start to act like a jealous school girl. It was her fault. She had her chance. He couldn't help the fact that he loved Aeris. She just wasn't like anyone else he had ever met. And that was why it had hurt him so badly when she died.

He sat down when he realizing that he had made his way all the way to the park. He thought about it all and then coming as quite a shock, he realized that he wasn't starting to sink into a funk now that his thoughts had turned her way. Right about now he would be sulking and/or sobbing. But after a couple years of this, he guessed, it kinda got old and you could only cry about it for so long. Maybe he was finally getting over her. And his guilt. He had to admit that Tifa was right; it was stupid to mope about like he did and blame himself over something that he couldn't have possibly guessed would ever happen. Aeris was special to him. And the guilt he bore would probably never fully ebb away, but at least it was a start. But he could still wonder what it would have been like to spend the rest of his days with her. She could still live in his heart and he could always think back on the lighter moments. He could do it. He knew he could. He knew Aeris would want him to. Feeling a bit more light hearted and with a renewed confidence in himself, he stood and began walking back towards town. And as he walked he felt more like his old self little by little. Upon returning to his normal state of mind, a mischievous smirk crept onto his face. _Now what can I do to Barrett?_

_**I'm sure that the heart I left behind **_

**_Still lies hidden in the heart of the deep, deep forest._**

_**Exhausted without the strength to search**_

_**People vanish into the infinite darkness**_

_**If it's so small, I wonder if I can see it**_

_**Even now?**_

_**As we live on we lose a little bit more**_

_**Shrouded in falsehoods and lies**_

_**We stand frozen to the spot, unable to cry.**_

_**The days pass by and change**_

_**Without us even realizing how blue**_

_**The sky really is.**_

_**Overcoming that made up scheme**_

_**We live the present and our rusted hearts**_

_**Begin to beat again! **_

_**If we can find the rhythm of time**_

_**We can fly again.**_

_**We live our lives wandering to the ends of the earth**_

_**Believing (in you?)**_

_**Now I begin my journey without you**_

_**In search of the light**_

_**Closing off the way back**_

_**We walk on for eternity**_

_**We live our lives frozen to the spot**_

_**Unable to cry out for eternity.**_

_** Fukai Mori (Deep Forest) by Do As Infinity**_


End file.
